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There are some time-honored traditional bakeries in Korea. These bakeries have become famous establishments by using the best ingredients and creating delicious recipes. Read on to learn about some of the most famous local bakeries in Korea, which have captivated the hearts of customers with great tasting breads that have stood the test of time.

Lee Sung Dang in Gunsan,the oldest bakery in Korea

Lee Sung Dang in Gunsan, Jeollabuk-do province is the oldest bakery in Korea. The bakery has been in business in the same location since 1945. It is quite large and upon entering, visitors receive a sense of nostalgia and welcome that only this long-standing bakery can provide. The shelves are filled with a variety of breads that are baked fresh every morning, and tables fill the interior and line the windows.

Though the variety and amount of bread produced has increased over its 60 or so years in operation, the danpatppang (bread filled with red bean paste) and yachaeppang (vegetable bread) are still the favorites. The danpatppang features thin but chewy bread filled with a delicious red bean paste. The yachaeppang is filled with a vegetable and meat mixture of cabbage, carrots, onions, celery, finely ground pork, and mayonnaise, giving the bread a distinct and rich flavor.

Sung Sim Dang opened in front of Daejeon station in 1956 as a bakery selling steamed bread. Recently, Sung Sim Dang was listed in the Michelin Guide Korea, which features some of the best eateries in the country. Meaning “committed to making the finest bread,” Sung Sim Dang offers carefully crafted and freshly baked bread. Visitors can sample breads before buying, which results in large crowds and satisfied customers as they can find out which tastes suit them.

Since it opened, the bakery has developed a unique line of bread recipes and actually offers more than a hundred types of bread, from soboro to baguettes. The most famous item is the twigim soboro, which they have been serving for about 30 years. It is soboro bread filled with a mild red bean paste, and the whole thing is deep-fried for crispness. This bread is so popular that it occupies an entire section of the bakery. Recently, the toyoppang, a combination of sweet potato and tapioca, as well as the walnut bread filled with nuts have become quite popular.

PNB (Pungnyeon Jegwa) in Jeonju,breads made by an unassuming artisan

PNB, or Pungnyeon Jegwa, opened in Jeonju, Jeollabuk-do province in 1951. The bakery is most famous for its jeonbyeong cookie, which has been the main item on the menu since the bakery first opened. Though the bakery is now filled with a variety of breads and cookies, jeonbyeong is still very popular. The most popular variety of jeonbyeong is the peanut jeonbyeong, but the dried laver and ginger jeonbyeong are also delicious. The handmade choco pie is quite popular as well. This chocolate flavored bread is filled with nuts and smothered with strawberry jam and cream. Served chilled, the choco pie is best eaten with milk.

Address:

40-5, Gyeongwon-dong 1(il)-ga, Wansan-gu, Jeonju-si, Jeollabuk-do

Tel:

+82-63-285-6666 (Korean)

Hours:

08:00-22:30

Open year round

Popular menu items:

Peanut jeonbyeong 7,000 won, handmade choco pie 1,600 won

Korea Travel Hotline:

+82-2-1330 (Korean, English, Japanese, Chinese)

Kim Jin Hwan Bakery,the best bread loaves

Situated in a quiet alley in Donggyo-dong, Mapo-gu, Seoul, Kim Jin Hwan Bakery is all about bread loaves. After graduating from the Ecole de Patisserie de Tokyo, the owner Kim Jin Hwan, a patissier, ran a typical bakery until 16 years ago when he decided to concentrate only on loaves of bread.
This small and old-looking bakery produces on two items. Customers can buy sliced or unsliced bread loaves. The square, unsliced bread can be easily pulled apart by the fingers. The bread is very moist and chewy. The other item on its menu is the almond soboro. The soboro, which is crisp on the outside and soft on the inside, is as good as the bread loaves. The soboro is available only for a limited time from 8.30am to 3pm, so make sure to get there early if you want to get some.

Address:

186-22, Donggyo-dong, Mapo-gu, Seoul

Tel:

+82-2-325-0378 (Korean)

Hours:

09:30-17:30 (closed at 16:00 on Saturdays)

Closed on Sundays

Popular menu items:

Loaf of bread 3,000 won, almond soboro 1,100 won

Korea Travel Hotline:

+82-2-1330 (Korean, English, Japanese, Chinese)

Kungjeun Jegwa in Gwangju

Photo Credit: Kungjeun Jegwa

Having been opened 40 year, Kungjeon Jegwa in Gwangju has stood the test of time thanks to their consistently high quality breads. The most famous item at this bakery is the gongnyong alppang. It is made by cutting a fist-sized piece of bread in half, removing the insides and filling it with egg salad. It is called gongnyong alppang, which literally means “dinosaur egg bread,” as its shape resembles that of a dinosaur egg. Another popular item on the menu is Kungjeon Jegwa’s nabi pie, which is made by compressing the middle of multiple thin dough layers and then baking it in the oven. The end result looks like the wings of a butterfly (nabi in Korean). The bakery recommends microwaving the nabi pie for 15 to 20 seconds before eating to give the bread a slightly crisp, yet moist and chewy texture. Alongside these two favorites, the bakery offers around 200 varieties of bread and 60 different cakes. There are tables on the second floor to sit and enjoy the finely crafted bread at Kungjeun Jegwa.

Daewondang in Chuncheon

Photo Credit: Daewondang

Opened in 1968, Daewondang is the oldest bakery in the city of Chuncheon in Gangwon-do Province. The bakery presently has around 400 different items on its menu including a variety of breads, cakes, and pastries. Many of the breads here are filled with healthy ingredients such as rice, red bean paste, chestnuts, and walnuts and all the bread sold at Daewondang is baked the same day, guaranteeing its freshness. The most popular items is the chapssaltteok (rice cake filled with sweet beans), but customer also really enjoy the apple pie and bammanju, a chestnut shaped cake with sesame seed coated bottom.

Address:

183, Toegye-ro, Chuncheon-si, Gangwon-do

Tel:

+82-33-254-8187 (Korean)

Hours:

07:00-23:00

closing

Open year round

Popular menu items:

Chapssaltteok 1,000 won, bammanju 1,500 won, apple pie 2,000 won

Korea Travel Hotline:

+82-2-1330 (Korean, English, Japanese, Chinese)

Ops in Busan

Photo Credit: Ops

Since launching its first store in Busan in 1989, Ops has responded to its growing popularity by opening several more locations including seven stores throughout Busan, some in Ulsan and at the Lotte Department Store in Pyeongchon as well. The bakery does not use frozen dough, which is the key to its fresh and delicious breads. The karinteu donut, a bite-sized crisply fried donut, is a specialty that is unique to this bakery. Other popular menu items include the soft sponge cake hakwonjeon and the myeongnan baguette pizza, which pairs well with drinks thanks to its rich and salty flavor.

Address:

233, Namcheon-dong, Suyeong-gu, Busan (main store)

Tel:

+82-51-625-4300 (Korean)

Hours:

08:00-23:00 (closes at 12:00 in the night in July-August)

closing

Open year round except on Seollal (Lunar New Year’s Day) and Chuseok (Korean Thanksgiving Day)

Website:

www.ops.co.kr (Korean) / phone orders can be made by calling +82-1588-3069 (Korean)

Baekgudang in Busan

Photo Credit: Baekgudang

Located in Jungan-dong area of Busan, Baekgudang is the oldest bakery in Busan. Opened in 1959, the Baekgudang Bakery has been serving the finest quality baked goods for 54 years. The bakery’s name Baekgu means “white seagull,” which is quite fitting since it is located in the coastal city of Busan. Its most popular item is the croizen, five round balls all connected and baked together. Although it’s not bread, the gun goguma (baked sweet potato) is a seasonal item sold only in the wintertime at Baekgudang. After the sweet potato is baked, its insides are hollowed out and mixed with cream cheese and butter. This mixture is then stuffed back into the sweet potato before baking it once more. Its sweet and rich taste keeps the customer returning for more.

Address:

31-1, Jungang-dong 4-ga, Jung-gu, Busan

Tel:

+82-51-465-0109 (Korean)

Hours:

08:30-22:30

closing

Open year round except on Seollal (Lunar New Year’s Day) and Chuseok (Korean Thanksgiving Day)

Popular menu items:

Croizen 4,000 won, gungoguma 2,000 won, chocolat cheese 3,000 won

Korea Travel Hotline:

+82-2-1330 (Korean, English, Japanese, Chinese)

Mammoth Bakery in Andong

Photo Credit: Mammoth Bakery

Mammoth Bakery in Andong opened in 1974 and is a Michelin Guide recommended bakery thanks to its tradition of preparing only the finest quality baked goods. The bakery continuously redevelops its menu to offer new and exciting flavors and recipes to its customers. The development doesn’t stop at the menu though, as the bakery redesigns its interior every five years to reflect the most recent trends and to freshen up the atmosphere of the store. The customer favorites here include the sweet potato tart, the baked croissant, and the cream cheese bread. The bakery’s signature creation is the mammoth ppang, a delicious mix of cream, caramelized peas, and red bean paste layers sandwiched between two slices of sweet and glutinous rice cake bread.

Heart-warming Snack Hotteok!

Hotteok, a hot and fried sweet pancake with brown sugar filling, is one of the most popular winter snacks in Korea. Traditionally, a hotteok is made by griddling sugar-filled dough from wheat or glutinous rice flour, but there are also other variations like corn hotteoks or hotteok stuffed with seeds, vegetables, or honey. Taking a bite of a freshly fried hotteok on a cold winter day is a great way to warm up.

An Offbeat Taste - Yachae (vegetable) Hotteok at Namdaemun Market

For those who are already familiar with the sweet filling of the commonly sold sugar pancakes, try a yachae hotteok for a change. Filled with glass noodles and vegetables such as onions, chives, and carrots, yachae hotteok has a mildly salty flavor that resembles a fried dumpling. Yachae hotteoks can taste a bit greasy as it is griddled in oil, but the strong chive taste helps dampen the greasy flavor. Soy sauce seasoned with fruits and vegetables can be spread on the pancakes to taste. There are many vendors selling yachae hotteoks throughout the Naedaemun Market area, but the one located right next to the Industrial Bank of Korea in front of Gate 2 of the Namdaemun Market is particularly famous for its unique taste.
Price: 1,000 won

Rich in Flavor! - Oksusu (corn) Hotteok at Teolbone in Insa-dong

Oksusu hotteok is a must-try delicacy for visitors of Insa-dong. Teolbone Hotteok, located in front of the Aritaum cosmetics store behind the well-known Ssamziegil Building in Insa-dong, is famous for its corn and has a rich flavor thanks to its stuffing of brown sugar and nuts.
Price: 1,000 won

Original Sauce – Yachae (vegetable) Hotteok at Samcheong-dong

A 5 minute walk out of Exit 1 of Anguk Station (Subway Line 3) leads to a hotteok stand that is said to make the tastiest hotteok in the Samcheong-dong area. The place sells both honey and vegetable filled hotteoks. In particular, the yachae hotteok is even more delicious when it is dipped in the shop’s special sauce made with paprika, onion, and chili. Try a freshly made hotteok while enjoying your stroll along the charming streets of Samcheong-dong.
Price: 1,000 won

Packed with Savory Seeds – Ssiat (seed) Hotteok in Busan

The Street of Film across from the Jagalchi Market in Busan is lined with a variety of street food vendors. One vendor stands out among the rest with its unusually long lines. This vendor sells ssiat hotteok, which is filled with sunflower and pumpkin seeds. The seeds are stuffed only after the dough is cooked on the griddle, so it has more flavor and tastes less greasy. Ssiat hotteok also offers a more traditional sweet taste as the seeds are mixed in sugar.
Price: 1,000 won

* Hotteok prices may change depending on the vendors, and some of the street vendors do not have an official address.